Battle of the awards...

One thing about the army is it allows everyone in the family to be involved. I ran with this opportunity! I have taken on the leadership positions of Fundraiser chair, Key caller, Secretary, treasurer and a member of the care team. This requires a lot of training, time, and commitment. I have been a part of a lot of events, fundraisers, dinner parties for volunteers and have had many awards given to me. The FRG and military is such a fun, rewarding thing to be a part of that no award is necessary. But since my soldier and I are competitive we of course have to keep track of the awards and coins given. Recently I got an award at my husbands new unit and the following day he came home with an ARCOM. Which as an e4 was a big deal! But since then I have taken on the role of a Co-Leader of the FRG which isn't common for an e5 spouse. Got to keep things interesting and run with a challenge. Its non stop competition. Why not have a little fun? ha ha.  Here's a FEW awards/coins...I have 2 walls full of awards and more to come! :)

Volunteer award dinner

Me playing flag football with other army wives!

Thats a Wrap!

                                            The day we have been waiting for IS HERE!!!!! 
      "Alright Stace, I dont know if I will be able to call you again until we land in Colorado. I love you and I cant wait to see you!" Is the words that came from my soldier via telephone before leaving Kuwait. I can't explain how amazing it was to hear those words. Its safe to say I didnt get ANY sleep that night!

The homecoming Ceremony wasnt until 11:15pm but I was ready to go by 9 am! I couldnt sleep, I thought the sooner I was ready maybe jussst maybe I would get a call saying "We're HERE!" hahaha! Wishful thinking. So instead I drove myself crazy! I remember watching Alaska armywives and watched one of the ladies clean, clean and clean before getting her husband. What I thought was most crazy was she would put the toilet seat up, then down, then up and couldnt decide how to leave the toilet seat. I BECAME THAT LADY! YIIIKES! I wanted to look perfect, the house to be perfect and wanted our soldier to feel loved, that he was missed, and that he was welcomed home. With the homecoming being 4 and half hours PAST our boy's bedtime I ran to the store and got chocolate milk, lots of chocolate. I put Mason to bed bout 5 so he could get plenty of sleep before I woke him for the big night!

About 40 minutes early...waiting...

Someone was still a little sleepy and OF COURSE didn't want any sugary goodness I packed for him...

After FINALLY fully waking up he was running around! His shirt said "WATCH OUT! Walking to my daddy for the first time!"

 

The buses lined up, soldiers piling out LETS DO THIS! 

The minute the smoke started, Music started blaring there was screaming from Wives, kids, and families!!

The amount of pride the soldiers carried, the excitement in the screams, the tears, smiles, the welcome home signs, News cameras I cant explain how AMAZING this moment was! 

I'm an American soldier, an American,
Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand,
When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right,
I'm out here on the front lines. Sleep in peace tonight.
American soldier, I'm an American soldier (The song blaring)

The soldiers stood there in formation professionally, they sang the army song (my favorite sound in the world)  and the 4th ID song.

The soldiers weren't the only ones standing at formation. 

After the soldiers were released wives were running every direction, soldiers were going every which way...now where is OUR soldier!? All a sudden there was a man coming towards us who we knew VERYYY WELL! 

Before going to the homecoming Dylan said " Mom I'm going to be brave and I'm not going to cry!" But its safe to say someone was VERY excited to see daddy!

All the phone calls, sleepless nights, worries, was done in just one sweet kiss! "WE MADE IT!" 

Mason on the other hand didn't know what to think. He instantly wanted to get back to me. What a night for him, hes up in the middle of the night, strangers everywhere and his dad shows up? 

Back together again...

It didn't take long for Mason to figure out what was going on.

THATS A WRAP!

                                                           Deployment Feb 2013-Oct.2013

Coming to an end..

Doorbell rings and what was at the door? Oh just our soldiers trunk with his belongings in it! That only means ONE thing...SOMEONES COMING HOME!!!!!!!!  When we opened the trunk Dylan found this blanket that his dad had been using in Kuwait. The first thing he did was smell it! "It smells like my daddyyyy!" 

Waiting for a call... Because of security and safety reasons they don't tell the soldiers the flights, times, and dates of their arrival. The way the army wives find out is through the FRG or 24-72 hours before arrival we get a phone call from a soldier on Rear D. Of COURSE I had my phone on me every second and would look at it every second, the ONE minute I put it down to run out to my car I missed the call from a Sergeant....go figure. I listened to the voicemail which told me the ceremony date and time! Oh yeah this was the night before the arrival annnnd I cried!

People always asked me... "Are you ready for your soldier to come home?" hmm let me think about that! YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! From the time he left till the day before I was cleaning, buying all his favorite foods, drinks, and some presents for when it was time for him to be home!



Photographer...check
Hair cut/color..check

Buy outfit for self...check
buy decorations...check
order welcome home sign...check
hang up welcome home sign...check

make shirts for the boys...check

clean house from top to bottom...check
buy soldiers favorite drinks, and food..check
order cake...check
Pick up cake...check

wrap welcome home gifts...check
Make welcome home goodies...check

Officially ready for homecoming...CHECK CHECK CHECKITY CHECK!!!!!

Q&A through deployment...

How do you do it!?  I think this is one of the most asked questions bc the thought of the one you love across the world in possible danger while the spouse waits for phone calls and raises their children on her own sounds INSANE! Its just that... INSANE! But let me break it down to you to make it sound less crazy... Your man is doing what he loves, what he trains to do while you are supporting him which in your vows is what you are called to do. You don't work because you have 2 little ones running around that need stabilization and extra care and love while dad is deployed. You do what ya gotta do!

I know you were concerned about Dylan through deployment how is he doing? Hmmm when dad first deployed Dylan would cry himself to sleep, need some time to himself in school and have occasional break downs didn't matter where he was. Then he went through a stage where he would take things, and do little things in a way to act out. Then before the deployment was coming to an end he was back to being emotional bc he was excited of dads return!

How often do you communicate to your soldier?  I count my blessings everyday bc I got to talk to my soldier daily unless out on missions.

Whats the hardest part through deployment? I think deployment is hard no matter what. My family is far, friends are limited, raising 2 kids on my own, one of whom needs extra attention, and constant waiting and worry in the back of my head for my soldier.

Whats one thing you have learned through a deployment? I think the biggest thing I have learned was the sacrifices our soldiers make. I have a new respect and gratitude for soldiers.

What is a care package and what do you put in it? Lets just say the soldiers aren't near a walmart and a grocery store they cant hop in their car (as they don't have one) and get personal items and their favorite snacks. Soldiers would walk...yes WALK at the most 2 miles (one way) to get to the PX where they could buy things that they would need. Between training, physical fitness, my soldier was studying for the board and doing college classes so basically there wasn't a whole lot of time. So I would buy his favorite snacks, body wash, shampoo, razors, fresh socks, ect.

Through a deployment the soldiers live in a 50 man tent with about 30 people, sleep in a twin size bed and they have a locker to keep their belongings in so I would also send family pictures and art work from Dylan that our soldier would hang up in his locker and look at daily.

Staying busy..

      For 8 years I built a life with my soldier. We branched out away from home, we rely on only eachother, raise 2 boys together, and every decision we make is as a team. When you take the soldier away to attend to his duties...then what? The first couple weeks everytime I would pull up in my car seeing my husband Mustang parked when it shouldnt be there it should be gone with my soldier in it. I would sit in my car and cry bc I couldnt believe that he was 7,433 miles away from me. How was I going to do this alone? People kept saying to me "Its ONLY 9 months." but I struggled to do a day, then go to bed alone. How was I going to do "only" 9 months? Before my soldier left he told me I needed to stay busy. At the time I thought "I still have 2 kids OF COURSE Im going to be busy." I hated feeling in a slump when as my soldier would say "We dont have a choice." So I had to pull myself together. Before my soldier left Dylan and I made a huge list of things we were going to do while dad was gone...

This list had some big things like going to an amusement park, the zoo, travel home to see family, go to a circus, and little things like Eat ice cream for dinner, pillow fight, build a fort, cook marshmellows on a fire. The reason for the list was to stay focus on staying busy, not so much about the things we were going to do.
We did LOTS of things...

Went to the Cheyanne Moutain zoo to see the new Elephant Exhibit...

Went to Monkey buisness, Jump N Jacks, House of bounce...

Had playdates...

Soccer...

Ate shark at the balloon glow...

lots of park time and picnics...

Gymnastics

started 2nd grade...

Had friends over...

Track..

Baseball...

 Sports camp...

Had a visitor for a few weeks this summer...

 fishing

Easter...

Went to Pikes Peak...

park fun...

Went home to Iowa and spent much needed family time...

Amusement park in Denver...

Saw Great Grandpa Killion

Went to the circus...

Someone turned TWO! 

Went to Garden of the Gods for walks and bike rides...

more fishing.

Just to name a few. Lets just say we were BUSY!!!! Through the 9 months... Mike lost his grandma, his sister had their first baby, Mason started to walk, Dylan passed the swim test to go off the diving board. Dylan lost his first baby tooth, Dylan got glasses, Mason was cleared from Cardiology, Mason got braces for his feet... On top of extra things we did we had daily therapys for mason, doc appointments, baseball, track, sports camp, gymnastics (both the boys), mason had kinderjam,

Did we stay busy? YES! 

Did it help? Maybe! 

LOL